Sexual Activity Among Young Adolescents is Very Less

Researchers from Guttmacher Institute report that pre-teens are sexually less active than thought to be.

Experts investigated the data from the 2006 - 2010 National Survey of Family Growth conducted by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics and found that the average age of having sex for the first time has not fallen below 17 years.

The findings reveal that only 0.6 percent of 10-year-olds, 1.1 percent of 11-year-olds and 2.4 percent of 12-year-olds have had sex. Moreover, more than fifty percent of those who had sex in this age group were coerced to do the act.

Usage of contraception was low among pre teens during their first sexual experience. Pregnancies in this age group were also found to be very rare.

According to Lawrence Finer, lead author, most often media sensationalize teen sexual behavior suggesting that more and more young adolescents are becoming sexually active. The authors stressed the importance of educating the young adolescents about contraception and preventive measures.

Source: Medindia